Hasta La Gadget!

It was all the way back in May 2008 when Roku launched their maiden player that was capable of streaming entertainment directly to the TV, where some have dubbed it to be “the Netflix player,” as Netflix was the first available channel back then. Roku’s effort enabled consumers to stream thousands of TV and movie titles on their TVs instantly, courtesy of a speedy Internet connection.

Since then, half a decade has passed, and Roku today celebrates the shipment of their five millionth Roku streaming player Stateside. This will definitely have a spot in the pantheon of Roku’s industry, where channels like Amazon Video on Demand were added in 2009, HBO GO in 2011 and TWC TV in 2013. Apart from 5 million Roku players shipped, 8 billion streams of video and music were sent to Roku players since 2008, in addition to having approximately 750 channels for you to fill up your spare time with. Are you rocking to a Roku streaming player, or do you think that you will be able to resist the lure of Roku for the next five years?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony HDTVs With Quantum Dot Technology Start To Ship, Solar-Powered Death Ray,

Roku, a name that one should be familiar with when it comes to set top boxes, has just announced their latest version to join the family, the Roku 3. Not exactly the most creative of names when you think about it, but it will suffice for the moment. Roku 3 intends to make it easier and quicker than ever to access over 750 channels of the best movies, TV shows, sports, music and games, and it has even been touted to be the fastest and most powerful Roku streaming player to date, thanks to a speedier processor underneath the hood in addition to an enhanced remote that comes with a headphone jack so that you can listen in private without having to disturb anyone around you. Not only that, Roku 3 would be accompanied by a new user interface that enables a more fluid browsing and navigation experience.

Anthony Wood, founder and CEO, Roku, said, “As Roku continues to build the largest selection of streaming entertainment, we are always exploring ways to improve the TV experience for our customers. Roku 3 introduces thoughtful new features that customers will love. The intuitive new interface makes it easy to find movies and shows quickly while the private listening mode is perfect for late-night streamers who don’t want to wake up the family.”

The remote control of the Roku 3 also doubles up as a motion-sensing game controller, letting you enjoy games such as Angry Birds Space, while you can download Roku’s free app for iOS and Android devices that turns the phone into the ultimate Roku command center, now how about that?

If you are interested in picking up the Roku 3 streaming player, you can now do so (assuming you reside in the US), where it can be purchased over at Roku.com as well as Amazon.com, and Roku has attached a recommended retail price of $99.99. If online shopping is not your cup of tea, you can always choose to bring home a Roku 3 yourself from retail stores around the US from April onwards, which is three weeks away for the more patient ones.

Press Release
[ Roku 3 announced copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Those who love the tiny, inexpensive, and all-around awesome little set-top box called Roku will be happy to know that the latest edition has just been unveiled, Roku 3. The set-top box features a sleek black design with rounded, slightly tapered edges and the same signature remote that users have come to love. Check out a picture and video of the device, as well as its specs, after the jump.

One of the biggest changes that users will notice is its new interface, which you can check out in the video below. Says Roku, the updated design offers quicker access to content and features, as well as more content and options being displayed on the screen. Both Search and the Channel Store have been integrated into the home screen to accompany their new designs.

Another new feature is a headphone audio port on the set-top box itself, making it simple to plug in your headset and have a private listening session. When a pair of headphones are plugged into the Roku 3, audio will automatically be switched to the headset while the TV’s speakers are muted. No manual settings changes are required; it’s all plug-and-play.

Those who use the Roku 2, HD 2500, LT, and Streaming Stick models will see the new user interface roll out as an auto update sometime in April, although a definitive date wasn’t given. As for the Roku 3, you can pick it up now from the company’s official website, at Amazon or other retailers online. It is priced at $99.99.

[via Roku]

Roku 3 player unveiled, boasts redesigned user interface is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Intel has just confirmed what was previously only a rumor; it’s entering the set-top box business in a major way. As the Verge reports, we’re talking “live television, catch-up television, on-demand, [and] a set of applications.” In other words, the golden goose. More »

Motion control, ever since you were introduced in a relatively usable and broadly accessible form with the Wii Remote, the public has had a bit of a crush on you. Recently, that crush has turned into a full-fledged infatuation, and now Orange is bringing motion control to its Livebox Play TV service in France via Movea’s gesture-based tech and a motion-sensitive remote.

Microsoft’s Kinect proved their was a broad appetite for the use of motion controls integrated with home entertainment systems, and Orange’s decision to tap Movea’s OEM-independent SmartMotion Server product to bring it to its Livebox Play TV system is an indication that there’s a drive among traditional entertainment networks and providers to make sure they don’t get left behind.

What can consumers do with the Movea-enabled hardware? With the right set-top box and remote control, both of which are available for pre-order and set to ship in February, they can wave at their TVs and use gestures like twisting to control volume playback, on-screen menu item selection, close and open apps and more. Also, the interface will allow viewers to interact with motion-controlled games, in a more casual incarnation of what the Wii can accomplish via its gesture-based input devices.

Movea is a broad-based play to introduce motion control to any kind of device that wants to include it, including Windows Phone 8 and Android smartphones, Windows 8 tablets and notebooks, and home entertainment and other CE devices. It also sells to semiconductor manufacturers, so that motion intelligence can be built into devices at the processor level. Obviously this is a space that’s generating a lot of interest, beyond just the implementations by big-name players like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. Platform agnostic companies like Movea, and Leap, which just today announced a new $30 million funding round and a deal that will see its hardware ship with ASUS computers, indicate we’ll probably see a lot more companies try to provide motion as a service, API or OEM hardware add-on for third-parties.

I still think that despite the way it has proven its viability with the Wii and Kinect, motion control is a tricky thing to sell to a wide consumer base, especially as a control mechanism for TV content usually handled via remote. In many ways, it’s still a tech that has novelty appeal and not much else, but as more companies try to integrate it with more traditional tech like set-top boxes, we’ll get a better idea of how it can fare in terms of long-term adoption.